Players in Arctic Winter Games Pull Heads, Throw Snowsnakes

Debbie Oyukuluk competes in the snowsnake, which is a bit like the javelin toss, but on ice. Photo: Sol Neelman

I’ll do almost anything and go almost anywhere to take fun photos, even if it means freezing my ass off in the wilds of Canada.

Four years ago, after consulting Google maps to find exactly where in the world Yellowknife is, I took off to the Great White North to shoot the bi-annual Arctic Winter Games. The 2012 Games start Sunday in Whitehorse (that’s the Yukon, eh) and continue through March 10.

The Arctic Games is a youth sporting tournament representing nine regions within the Arctic Circle. Teams come from throughout Canada, Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia and the United States. (Alaska, represent!) Many of the games played are standard stuff like volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and hockey. These are of no interest to me.

What I was interested in were the arctic sports, which include things like high kicking, knuckle hopping and arm pulling. There’s also head pulling, which might have been my favorite.

Headpulling is among the most competitive, and popular, events at the Arctic Winter Games. Photo: Sol Neelman

In head pulling, two opponents face each other with a leather loop around their heads. Each pulls backward, trying to haul their opponent across a center line. Wild, eh? Another version featured in other tournaments has the loop wrapped around each guy’s ear. Now that’s a weird sport.

The sledge jump is another favorite. It’s a riff on hurdles, with competitors jumping over 10 sledges, then turning around to do it again. The goal is to make as many passes as possible before falling down or running out of steam.

And then there’s the airplane competition. An athlete lies face down on the floor with arms extended like the wings of a plane. Teammates lift them by the wrists and ankles and carry the prone player along a course. The goal is to travel the greatest distance before collapsing. It’s much harder than it sounds. Even some of the strongest made it no more than a few yards.

These indoor sports involve little to no equipment and can be played in small, confined spaces. All you need is an opponent and some desire.

I was equally interested in the Dene Games, which are unique to the Inuit and Dene. The games include five competitions: Stick pull, finger pull, pole push, snowsnake and hand games. The first three are self-explanatory riffs on tug-of-war. Snowsnake is like the javelin, but tossed with a sidearm motion. The point is to see who can hurl the stick the greatest distance over a frozen lake. It’s not hard to imagine how this sport evolved from hunting.

And that’s what is so wonderful about these kinds of events. They reflect our unique interests and rich cultural backgrounds. Most sports can be traced to the most basic forms of hunting and gathering and the earliest feats of strength and agility. The Arctic Winter Games is an opportunity for those in some of the most remote areas of the world to come together, celebrate their heritage and have fun. Just be careful if someone asks to pull his finger…

The object of the finger pull is to straighten your opponent’s finger or force him to concede defeat. Photo: Sol NeelmanAlice Strick shows remarkable form in the sledge jump, which is like hurdles with hides. Photo: Sol NeelmanThe pole push is like tug-of-war, but instead of pulling your opponent over a line, you're trying to push them out of the ring. Photo: Sol NeelmanGo Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.